One Wall at a Time
by allycat22
Summary: Their time in Neverland is already taking a toll on Emma. Killian has noticed her change in demeanor and aims to help her find her son and herself. He offers to help her ready herself for the trials Neverland will offer their misfit group.


One Wall at a Time

AN: Hello everyone! This was inspired by the promo pics they released of Emma and Hook in his hold. I don't own the characters or even really the situations, that's all Adam and Eddy.

It's wonderful to be back! Reviews are love and will result in virtual cookies :3

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"What are you doing?" He'd noticed the lack of a certain blond on deck and had gone off in search of her. Emma had been going through bouts of either extreme closed off-ness or manic determination and they were both unsettling for the pirate who was used to his collected and feisty Swan.

"Getting ready for a fight!"

He watched as she continued to pull herself up only to drop back down again.

"Swan…"

"No," she huffed. "I need to be ready. Henry is out there and I need to be _ready_!"

He watched as she continues her strange exercise before sighing. "Fine, you want to be ready? Stop your ridiculous up and downs and take this."

Offended that he was making light of pull-ups she dropped down and turned to face him. When Emma saw he had pulled a sword from one of the storage crates her eyebrows shot up her forehead.

"A sword?"

"Yes," he wiggled it a bit in hopes of making her grab it. "Also known as a cutlass."

Still appearing skeptical she took the proffered sword and sat on bench, her now-sore muscles protesting any other movement.

"I know what it is. Why are you handing me one? Nobody has attacked the ship." _Yet_. "And I know how to sword fight. I fought a dragon. I beat you." Emma smirked triumphantly.

Killian have her a droll look. "Darling, you've yet to really handle a sword more than a handful of times." He grinned salaciously. "Well, a metal sword." Emma rolled her eyes. "There is still much to learn," he said, ignoring her slight.

He looked at her expectantly, as if she was just going to stand up, ever so grateful he wanted to teach her, and start hopping around the ship with a highly dangerous object.

"Well?"

"Well what?"

"Well, are you going to stand at the ready or continue to be a lump?"

Emma glared. "I am _not_ a lump. I'm case you missed it, I was working hard earlier. Not just then," she gestured to her makeshift pull up bar. "You had me on deck, running around it all morning."

"Her," he corrected exasperatedly. "The Jolly Roger is a lovely lady."

"Whatever," she dismissed. "I'm tired and I don't want to dance around _her_ with some stab happy pirate."

"I could choose to be offended by that."

"Not when it's accurate." He tilted his head in concession, grinning at her amusedly.

"Swan," he started.

Emma shook her head vehemently. "No! I need to be ready! We're going to walking around some god forsaken island full of who knows what and I can't afford to be tired or weak or…"

His gaze softened. "You're not weak. I don't think you have it in you to be weak." He took a step closer. "But this will help you ready yourself. _I_ can help you ready yourself."

Ignoring the slight flip her heart did at his words and the way he was looking at her Emma stared hard at him. "I won't run around owing favors to people. It didn't end well last time."

Hook sighed exasperatedly. "It's not you owing me-"

"Of course it is! You're already letting us use your ship." Her voice cracked a little at how much it had meant that he'd come back and offered to help find Henry. "Besides," she pushed forward. "I beat you once already, what could you possibly need to teach me."

Reaching the end of his patience with her incessant need to throw up walls he slipped. "You didn't win!"

Emma blanched. "What are you talking about? In case you missed it I knocked you out and got back with Mar- my mom."

Wishing he had just kept his mouth shut and let her push him away he pinched the bridge of his nose before exhaling heavily. "I had a contingency plan." When she did nothing more than raise an eyebrow he frowned. "Would you like me to spell it out for you?"

"What are you even talking about?"

"In case you'd missed it, lass, I made it to your realm as well. With very little problem." Hook stepped even closer. "I had a plan from the beginning. Cora underestimated that." He pointed his hook at her, "As did you."

Emma was trying very hard not to think the words he wasn't saying. It didn't make sense. He'd had no reason to…

"I let you win," he stated plainly.

"Bullshit."

His blue eyes sparked with something that disappeared before Emma could identify it. "Think about it Swan. How many moments could I have simply done away with you? Broken through you're, admittedly lovely, skin and left you for dead? Ended your life and Snow White's dream of a happy ending?" He leaned down so his breath danced across her cheekbones. "Think about it, Emma."

Her throat was too tight. The room was too warm, he was too close, and her throat felt _too tight_. When he neither moved away nor said anything more she simply stared at him, trying to get rid of the bubbling feeling in her belly. He had made sure she got home, back to Storybrooke. Back to Henry.

"I'd never leave a child without is mother. That's a fate too cruel for even one as dark as Captain Hook."

When Emma still hasn't said anything, _couldn't_, he sighed and shook his head before pulling back. "Meet me on the deck and we'll begin your first lesson."

Killian had nearly made it out of the door when her soft voice broke the heavy silence.

"Thank you."

He didn't turn back towards her, knowing how much that admission had cost her pride and how hard it had been to say aloud.

"Anytime, lass."


End file.
